Tag : Branding

New Prudential ad offers insight to help Wichita marketers reach Boomers

Posted by Dave Mace at 5:04 pm

Prudential is running a fantastic ad campaign about planning for the future. It is a hopeful campaign, filled with video and photos of sunrises, including photos taken by actual retirees on the first day of their retirement. I think it offers tremendous insight into how Wichita marketers can reach boomers in more effective ways. In may or may not surprise you to learn that how the wan to feel is more important that what they want.

Images of the sunrise on that first day of your “new life.” What an amazing way to pull viewers emotionally into a place where they are more likely to think seriously about starting to save, plan for retirement, structure an insurance plan or any combination of the services Prudential offers.

In the past few years, I’ve seen commercials that focus on amassing wealth and others that focus on the advertiser having some secret key to planning for the future.

But what this ultra-sensitive commercial says to baby boomers and even more imminent retirees is that Prudential understands that feeling of anticipation, hope and possibility that can be captured in a sunrise. Few things are more beautiful than a sunrise, and when a marketer can tap into the feeling of a single moment that is so loaded with emotion, the goal of capturing the viewer’s attention is nearly always accomplished.

This kind of creative construction can do incredible things to get attention. Then it’s up to digital marketing channels to receive contact with these customers and prospects so the relationship can develop and ongoing communication can occur. For no matter how effective the emotional appeal, their must be a conduit for two-way communication.

Remember, small business marketers, in everything you do, appeal to emotion. And once you have their attention, invite them into a conversation. It’s just that simple.

Why Spec Creative and Crowd-Sourced Logos Are Bad For Wichita Marketers

Posted by Dave Mace at 4:34 pm

This is what you can get with a free online logo generator. Nothing terribly original or appropriate. But then again, you get what you pay for, right?

People often ask our company to give away our services. The blunt reply would be the rhetorical, “Why? You wouldn’t give away your services, would you?” These are the kinds of clients who would rather dicker with us about a few hundred dollars than make certain that they have the best logo that is most representative of their business for the Wichita market.

As you can see from the photos above, a free logo generator will give you a bunch of options, but most of them will be completely irrelevant. After all, what do a cupcake, Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and a sailboat have to do with Valé, which is a marketing firm? Truth be told, a good branding company like ours can make the story of your brand fit with the logo, but there’s no sense making it hard on people.

A step up from the do-it-yourself (DIY) logo is to submit your case to a $500 service. The problem with this, again, is that your information goes into a hopper for service providers with very little engagement or ownership. What usually comes back are very trite, simplistic and literal graphic translations of your brand. When you work with a firm like ours, it just doesn’t work that way. You get one-on-one attention that you need from start to finish, rather than spending $500 to avoid spending $750, when you’ll probably want to spend that $750 in two or three years, anyway.

Remember, there are no cheap ways out. Do it right.

What is your favorite Wichita burger joint? The answer might guide your marketing effort

Posted by Dave Mace at 10:14 pm

Maggie's Creation: Burger Dog!

Have you ever thought to yourself: “Does Wichita really need another burger place?” Judging by the fact that Smashburger just closed its Wichita locations, it would seem that the market is overcrowded.

In fact, there is a burger for just about every taste and price point you can imagine. What’s your favorite? I really like Bionic Burger, especially for the fresh-cut fries. The no-nonsense style of Five Guys is refreshing. Walt’s. TJs. Timbuktu.

Everyone has their favorite. And still the new joints come…and go. I gotta tell you, there is room for differentiation, but not everyone can occupy the luxury space. As a matter of fact, customers want more for less. That’s lesson number one.

Lesson number two is to be willing and able to shift your brand or business model if it doesn’t quite match what customers want. You might think you have a great idea, but the beauty of that idea is always in the eye of your beholding customers. The burger joints who haven’t taken note of that haven’t lasted as long as Freddy’s or TJs. You need to constantly strategize to avoid falling behind. (See “Don’t Let Your Wichita Small Business Strategy Become the ‘S’ Word.”)

Last, keep in mind that you can’t sell anything successfully over the long haul unless it is good. You can dress up a Wichita burger joint with cool colors and slick music, but without a great burger, finger-licking-good fries or a delectable shake, you’re dead in the water. As my good friend Vincent says, “It doesn’t matter how the package looks if the dogs don’t like the taste of the dog food.”

Take these basics to heart, and we can help you find how to communicate what’s special about your business through the web, Facebook and email, and get you more loyal customers.

Play the best song in your small business repertoire

Posted by Dave Mace at 10:00 pm

Small business marketing and advertising in Wichita is all about saying and doing what you do best. Do you ever get goosebumps when you hear one of your favorite artists sing a signature tune? Like when James Taylor sings ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ or Aretha sings ‘Respect.’ Or when Clapton or Slash play a mean guitar solo.

But come on. Admit it. When you go to the concert, you want to hear your favorites. Not the ‘b’ sides. (Kids, that means the less popular songs that used to go on the flip side of records.) So, except for some really prolific artists, tickets and downloads are driven by the ‘hit’ songs.

What’s your hit? In economic times like these, it can be tempting to switch styles and messages as often as Darius Rucker. But don’t fall prey to this conventional wisdom. It’s important that you take care of your core fan base.

It is true that it is better to keep and grow current customers than to focus solely on getting new ones. And even your new customers should be similar to existing ones. The reason this strategy is effective is the continuity that comes from playing those ‘listeners’ favorite songs with as much passion as you can. Quite simply, it will make them like you more and tune in more often.

Remember: Customers have their favorites and it’s your job to supply them.

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New Michelle Wie Kia Ad Campaign Signals Future of Small Business Marketing

Posted by Dave Mace at 7:07 pm

Worlds collided for me today when I saw sexy, sporty, sophisticated Michelle Wie in a television advertisement for Kia automobiles.

Why did that strike me as so unusual, you ask?

Well, it’s just that Michelle Wie, a Korean-American who plays what has become a decidedly American womens sport now dominated by Koreans was advertising for a Korean brand made from Korean parts assembled in America.

Whether you can follow all of that or not, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is the continual melding of what used to be disparate companies and nations into a truly global economy.

We see it every day on the television, online and in print. Many times, the brands don’t even make it apparent where they’re based, and we don’t take the time to look behind the scenes.

But that doesn’t matter, either. The point is, that barriers are coming down. Through technology, more rapid access to information and the blurring and blending of cultural lines, it doesn’t even necessarily mean a whole lot whether a Volkswagen is German or a Chrysler is American. In fact, they are as much Canadian and Italian, respectfully.

National labels are meant for food and beverages. Give me a Gruyere cheese. That’s fine. Other than that, brand nationalism is for a bygone era.

If brands like Kia can start making a name for themselves based on quality and the personification of a winner like Michelle Wie, then doesn’t it make more sense to build your small business brand on characteristics, rather than country lines?
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